Hitherto, for example, in the case of jig and tool used for plastic working of metal, the working surface thereof is seriously damaged due to vigorous sliding with material to be worked. Thus, it has been attempted to increase wear resistance by subjecting the working surface of jig and tool to some surface treatments. Among them, coating technology greatly contributes to improvement of life of molds and cutting tools since it can form a hard coating film having a Vickers hardness exceeding 1000 HV on the surface of a substrate with high adhesion.
However, in such jigs and tools, particularly, it is highly effective to increase not only the wear resistance of the surface, but also the lubrication characteristics so as to inhibit cohesion of the material to be worked, as in the working environment of the above-mentioned tools for plastic working. For solving this problem, for example, carbide of titanium (Ti) is positively utilized in the surface coating film of jigs and tools because it has both high wear resistance and sliding characteristics. The coating film of titanium carbide is formed mainly by chemical vapor deposition method (CVD method) (Non-Patent Document 1), and it is formed also by arc ion plating method which is a kind of physical vapor deposition method (PVD method) (Non-Patent Document 2). Furthermore, for formation of coating film of vanadium carbide (VC), it has also been proposed to employ the arc ion plating method (Patent Document 1) in addition to the conventional TD treatment.
Non-Patent Document 1: Technoknowledge• Network (2006) [Technical Information Site governed by National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology of Independent Administrative Agency] (Internet <URL: http://www.techno-qanda. net/dsweb/Get/Document-5294>)
Non-Patent Document 2: K. K. Toyokoka Home Page (2003) (Internet <URL: http://www. toyokoka. com/bumon/arkion/arkion.htm>)
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2002-371352